We are dumbfounded by this accident. Not only because it is the deadliest one of its kind in more than a year but also because it took place in a State-owned coal mine with a reputation for safety and no deaths in five years.
The tragedy has killed 74 so far.
Deficient safety facilities and a lack of concern for safety rules were often found responsible for past coal mine accidents.
Illegal mining by private owners for maximum profits at the expense of miners' lives has always been behind lethal accidents in the industry.
With the best safety facilities for coal mining in the country, Tunlan Coal Mine should have been one of the safest.
With more than 10 million yuan investment in innovation, the mine is said to have set the record for the discharge of no wastewater and no serious accidents in the past five years. And its efficient use of gas and other waste is also well known in this coal-mining northern province.
The cause of the gas explosion is still under investigation. Technology should be advanced enough to monitor the level of gas and draw it out of the mining shaft before workers enter.
There are strict safety regulations for both coal mining companies and workers to follow in order to avoid gas explosions, with satellites used to monitor the level of gas in major coal mines since 2005.
If all safety rules were strictly followed, we need to find out whether something has gone wrong with the monitoring devices or with equipment to extract gas from the shaft.
If it is a violation of safety rules or negligence of duty in any part of the hazard prevention process, it is also necessary to find out who was responsible.
There is no denying that the central government and its local counterparts have done a great deal in the past several years to improve safety standards. Thousands of illegal and substandard coal mines have been closed and safety technology has been upgraded in remaining mines.
Statistics from the State Administration of Coal Mine Safety show that the total number of accidents and fatalities in the coal mining industry dropped 19.3 percent to 15.1 percent respectively in 2008 from the previous year.
This accident in a State-owned coal mine should serve as a reminder that safety rules can never be too strict in this risky business. Any error is potentially fatal.
(China Daily February 24, 2009)